Although the national media could be excused for finding Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Union SG difficult to watch, they nonetheless complimented various parts of the game.
On Thursday night, the Reds’ victory in the Europa League was hardly in doubt, although the hosts were never really in contention.
Prior to Diogo Jota’s goal in stoppage time, the home audience had to wait for Ryan Gravenberch’s first Liverpool goal to give his team a lead at halftime.
Check out how the press responded to the Reds’ triumph below.
There will hopefully be more famous European nights to come at Anfield…
The Independent’s Richard Jolly believed that winning meant little more than moving on:
“This time, at least, Jurgen Klopp has no need to request a replay. the significant human error came from Darwin Nunez, not a pair of video assistant referees, but the Uruguayan’s latest shocking miss did not prevent Liverpool from celebrating the return of Europa League football to Anfield with a victory that is unlikely to be remembered for as long as Sunday’s contentious loss to Tottenham.
This is matchglobalnews.com James Nalton dissected a disjointed contest at Anfield
“This game never really seemed to get going. if it was the number of substitutions at halftime, or if it was some sort of comedown after the intensity of the weekend.
The crowd was mostly quiet, but happy and at ease, and Liverpool only needed to pass their way to a 1-0 victory if they so desired thanks to the early-ish goal.
“That’s not to say they didn’t try to add more; eventually, one did come through Jota, but there was always the feeling that they didn’t really need to.
This was evident in the atmosphere of the game as a whole because Liverpool ultimately did a good job.
Lewis Steele of the Mail admitted that Liverpool were rather gifted their victory:
“Following five days of debate about replaying matches and overhauling officiating after Liverpool were let down by a monumental mess-up by VAR at Tottenham, the Reds were now the benefactors of a huge mistake that tilted a tight game.
“Jurgen Klopp‘s side dominated their Belgian opponents Union Saint-Gilloise from start to finish but ultimately were thwarted by poor finishing on their behalf and inspired goalkeeping from Luxembourg international Anthony Moris.
“It was a shame, then, that Union’s captain Moris will leave Anfield knowing he has cost his team dearly, especially noting the Belgians went undefeated in five European away days last season.
“A weak effort was parried into Ryan Gravenberch‘s path and that’s all Liverpool needed.”
“A weak effort was parried into Ryan Gravenberch‘s path and that’s all Liverpool needed.”
The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe admits that the Europa League hasn’t been too exciting yet this season:
“No VAR hiccups, no red cards, no controversies and no need to hear audio tapes of confused officials. Jurgen Klopp must have thought there was an outbreak of normal football at Anfield.
“His side put one of the most curious weeks of his reign behind them with a routine Europa League victory over Belgium’s Union SG.
“In truth, the excitement level never extended much behind that of listening to Darren England and Dan Cook’s ramblings on Monday evening. This second tier of European competition has not quickened the pulse of the six-time Champions League winners yet.”
This was a night when Gravenberch and Jarell Quansah proved their worth…
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Thursday, October 5, 2023: Liverpool’s goal-scorer Ryan Gravenberch (R) shakes hands with manager Jürgen Klopp as he is substituted during the UEFA Europa League Group E matchday 2 game between Liverpool FC and Union SG at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The Athletic‘s James Pearce really liked what he saw from the Dutchman:
“Unlike Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, who have proved instant hits at Anfield, Gravenberch didn’t have the luxury of a full pre-season under Klopp to get to grips with exactly what’s required from him tactically.
“The 21-year-old has been eased in gently but the signs are promising. He’s an elegant footballer who is good at finding pockets of space to operate in and is so aware of his surroundings. Quick and purposeful, he repeatedly drove forward from the left side of Klopp’s midfield three.
[…]
“Gravenberch’s career stalled at Bayern – Thomas Tuchel didn’t fancy him – but he’s growing in confidence and starting to really look the part at Liverpool.”
Jolly briefly touched upon his admiration for Gravenberch’s display:
“If there is a long-term consequence of the defeat of Union Saint-Gilloise, it may come in the form of a first Liverpool goal for Ryan Gravenberch; the temptation is to brand it the first of many, given how impressive the Dutchman has looked since his arrival from Bayern Munich.”
Kieran King of the Mirror was very impressed by another assured showing by Quansah:
“Having spent the second-half of last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, not many would have expected Jarell Quansah to have quite the impact he has had at the start of this season.
“The 19-year-old excelled after being thrown in for his debut against Newcastle in August, and he has not looked back.
“Quansah shone on his first Liverpool start at Wolves last month, and also grabbed his maiden Reds assist in the recent 3-1 win over Leicester.
“The England under-20 international was handed another chance to impress after being handed his full Europa League debut against Union – and he took the opportunity with both hands.
“The centre-back produced a superb performance and didn’t put a foot wrong as Liverpool kept their first clean sheet in six matches since before the last international break.”
On Twitter, David Lynch touched upon the low-key nature of the win, also praising the performances of Gravenberch and Quansah:
“Not a game that’ll live long in the memory but job done from a much-changed Liverpool.
“Gravenberch a standout yet again, but Quansah’s performance should also be noted. CB was considered a weakness coming into this season so to have a player like that emerge is a huge boost.”
